Magnetic resonance imaging of temporomandibular joint dysfunction-correlation with clinical symptoms, age, and gender

Objective. To determine whether the morphological (magnetic resonance imaging) MRI manifestations correlate with the signs and symptoms of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction according to gender and age of the patients. Study design. One hundred and forty-four subjects with TMJ dysfunction underwent a MRI of both TMJ to establish the presence of disk displacement, osteoarthritis, and effusion. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were preformed. For the comparison of mean values between samples, we used T-test. Results. A significant relationship between symptoms and morphological manifestations was found. In the group without reduction there were significant increases in the risk of experiencing symptoms (P = .002). Significant correlation between age and osteoarthritis (P = .001) and age and effusion (P = .022) was found. There was no correlation between gender and morphological manifestations. Conclusion. MRI morphological manifestations of the TMJ correlate with the presence of symptoms, therefore MRI has a crucial role in the diagnosis of TMJ dysfunction.